Risen Jesus Shares Immortal Life with Us “Mercy Is the Offering of Love to the Broken, by the by Cindy Wooden and in Silent Reflection
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Single Issue: $1.00 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40030139 CATHOLIC JOURNAL Vol. 93 No. 40 April 6, 2016 Grace and mercy Risen Jesus shares immortal life with us “Mercy is the offering of love to the broken, by the By Cindy Wooden and in silent reflection. said Easter should give people the our brothers and sisters.” broken,” Junno Arocho Esteves After mass, before giving his courage to “blaze trails of recon - says Leah solemn blessing, Pope Francis ciliation with God and with all — EASTER , page 2 Perrault. VATICAN CITY (CNS) — It’s not a Easter is a feast of hope, a cele - massive bration of God’s mercy and a call undertak - to pray for and assist all who suf - ing. “Often fer, Pope Francis said before giv - the person ing his solemn blessing urbi et who offers mercy doesn’t orbi (to the city and the world). even know what it is The risen Jesus “makes us they are doing.” sharers of his immortal life and — page 3 enables us to see with his eyes of Purim love and compassion those who hunger and thirst, strangers and It’s often called the Jewish prisoners, the marginalized and Mardi Gras, when people the outcast, the victims of oppres - dress up and make noise sion and violence,” the pope said and celebrate Esther, March 27 after celebrating Easter whose bravery saved the morning mass. Jews from extermination Easter in Rome dawned bright in ancient Persia. and sunny; in St. Peter’s Square, — page 3 the steps leading up to the basili - ca were turned into an abundant Politics of genocide garden with thousands of tulips, daffodils and flowering bushes. Widespread slaughter, On Easter morning, the pope expulsion, kidnapping and does not give a homily. Instead, CNS/ L’Osservatore Romano rape of Christians, Yezidis with hands clasped in prayer and POPE EASTER BLESSING — Pope Francis greets the crowd during his Easter message and blessing urbi and other ethnic and head bowed, he led the tens of et orbi (to the city and the world) delivered from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican religious minorities in thousands of people in the square March 27. territory controlled by the Islamic State may well constitute a genocide, but TRC calls churches to integrity and conversion the Canadian government will not join a growing By Kiply Lukan Yaworski orous process of drafting, discus - tual or cultural abuse. The way in peoples and often identified by the international movement and sion and consultation, led by the which the whole residential terms ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ and formally call it a genocide SASKATOON — Two docu - Canadian Conference of Catholic school system was geared toward ‘terra nullius .’ ” before there is a ments released March 29 will not Bishops’ Commission for Justice assimilation has been revealed. The document notes “that now third-party investigation. be the last of the Catholic Church’s and Peace, chaired by Bolen. We also have a new understand - is an appropriate time to issue a — page 3 responses to the Truth and Rec - The Truth and Reconciliation ing of how the legacy of the public statement in response to Think Indigenous onciliation Commission or the process that has taken place schools continues to have an the errors and falsehoods perpetu - TRC Calls to Action, says Bishop around the legacy of residential impact on individuals, families ated, often by Christians, during The third annual Think Donald Bolen of Saskatoon. schools has invited a “deep awak - and communities, and is connect - and following the so-called Age Indigenous Education “The bishops look at this as a ening” from Catholics and from ed to many of the challenges of Discovery,” and rejects how conference was held March long and ongoing process. I think all Canadians, Bolen said. faced by indigenous people in our these legal constructs have been 15 - 18, beginning with we see the TRC Calls to Action “Catholics have learned much country today,” Bolen said. used to disenfranchise indigenous the first annual Think as an invitation to engagement, so more about our culpability in a “I am grateful that the Truth peoples. Indigenous Youth we are not simply checking things very flawed Indian residential and Reconciliation Commission In the second document, the Conference at Nutana off a list; we are looking for ways school system,” he said, noting does not write the churches off. signatories express their support Collegiate in Saskatoon to be engaged,” said Bolen. that some 60 per cent of the gov - Instead, they call us to integrity. for the United Nations Declaration and continuing with The two documents were pub - ernment-mandated schools were They call us to own the sins and on the Rights of Indigenous workshops, speakers, lished in response to TRC Calls to run by Catholic entities. mistakes of our past and to con - Peoples. They affirm that “its spir - tours, panels and a banquet. Action #46, #48 and #49. Leaders “Through the TRC process we version. They call us to action, to it can point a way forward to rec - — page 6 of four Canadian Catholic organi - have heard more clearly than ever stand in solidarity with indigenous onciliation between indigenous zations representing bishops, insti - before how indigenous children people, to address wrongs.” and non-indigenous people in Mercy masterpiece tutes of consecrated life, indige nous were taken from their homes, The first of the two texts “con - Canada.” people, and other laity signed the often far from their homes, some - siders and repudiates illegitimate The Catholic response to TRC If Pope Francis wanted a documents on the Feast of St. times forcibly. We have heard ter - concepts and principles used by Call to Action #48 to support the single image to illustrate Joseph (patron saint of Canada). rible accounts of sexual abuse and Europeans to justify the seizure of the special The texts were prepared after a rig - physical abuse, and also of spiri - land previously held by indige nous — DECLARATION , page 5 Year of Mercy that is the cur - Righting wrongs begins with ‘truthful history’ rent focus of his min - By Deborah Gyapong detailed documents responding to Action #48 that asked faith com - educate themselves about these istry and, Calls to Action #48 and #49. munities to show how they plan to issues,” said Archbishop Murray indeed, the OTTAWA (CCN) — Canadian The Catholic response to the bring their policies in line with the Chatlain of Keewatin-Le Pas, theme at bishops are calling on Catholic Truth and Reconciliation Com mis - 2007 United Nations Declaration whose diocese is made up of 83 the heart of his pontificate, institutions to tell “a truthful his - sion’s Calls to Action are “a cou - on the Rights of In digenous People per cent First Nations and Métis he could do no better than tory” of the church’s interaction ple of steps in a journey that’s (UNDRIP), and Call to Action #49 peoples. choosing an under-appreci - with indigenous peoples. going to take a long time,” says that asked for a repudiation of the One place to start is by making ated masterpiece by On March 29, the Canadian Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael so-called Doctrine of Discovery, sure Catholic institutions tell a the thrilling Italian artist Conference of Catholic Bishops, Miller. and Terra Nullius , that gave “first truthful history of the encounter known as Caravaggio. the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Miller was among 30 bishops, takers” or “discoverers” the right to with indigenous peoples, such as — page 8 Council, the Canadian Religious religious, and lay representatives of seize land belonging to indigenous the effects of the residential Conference and the Canadian Catholic organizations at a March peoples. school system, and the impact of Catholic Organization for Devel - 14 meeting in Ottawa to reflect on “I just hope more of our op ment and Peace released two a response to the TRC’s Call to church and Canadians in general — CHATLAIN , page 4 2 Prairie Messenger INTERNATIONAL NEWS April 6, 2016 Actions speak louder than words, pope tells refugees By Junno Arocho Esteves Fisichella, the main organizer of there are “arms traffickers who the Vatican’s Year of Mercy ini - want blood, not peace.” ROME (CNS) — In a moving tiatives, as well as the directors of “In this moment, when I do gesture of brotherhood and peace, the refugee centre. Jesus’ same gesture — to wash Pope Francis washed the feet of He was also introduced to the feet of you 12 — all of us are several refugees, including Mus - three residents who would serve making this gesture of brother - lims, Hindus and Copts. as his interpreters: Ibrahim from hood. And all of us can say: We Gestures, like Jesus washing Afghanistan, Boro from Mali and are diverse, we are different, we the feet of his disciples, “speak Segen from Eritrea. One of the have different religions and cul - louder than words,” he said dur - refugees handed the pope a mark - tures, but we are brothers and we ing the Holy Thursday Mass of er, which the pontiff used to sign a want to live in peace,” he said. the Lord’s Supper March 24. banner depicting the flags of 26 Acknowledging the suffering Coming together, he added, is nations, representing the countries endured by the refugees, Pope another gesture meant to show a of origin of the centre’s guests. Francis asked them to pray in desire to live in peace as brothers In his brief, off-the-cuff homi - “their own religious language” so and sisters despite people’s differ - ly, the pope said there were two that there may “always be broth - ent cultural and religious back - distinct gestures in the day’s erhood and goodness.” grounds.